Bridge of Nations Bell

The "Bridge of Nations" Bell (万国津梁の鐘, Bankoku shinryō no kane^?) is a famous bronze bell associated with the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

The bell was cast in 1458, during the reign of King Shō Taikyū, and hung at the Seiden (main hall) of Shuri Castle.

The bell is 154.9 cm high, with an opening 93.1 cm in diameter, and weighs 721 kilograms.

Blackened and damaged by Allied bombs and guns in during the 1945 battle of Okinawa, the bell miraculously survived largely intact. It is, however, no longer rung.

Nationally designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1978, the bell is today in the collection of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum; a full-size replica hangs at the castle site. It remains unclear, however, just where in or around the Seiden it was originally hung. The replica bell currently hangs outside the second bailey or courtyard (Okinawan: shicha nu una), in a structure called the Tomoya, which has been reconstructed based on historical plans, maps, and images, but the original purpose of which is unknown.

The bell is quite commonly referred to as the "Bridge of Nations Bell" in English. This term is derived from a translation of the term typically used in Japanese to refer to the bell: 万国津梁の鐘 (Bankoku shinryō no kane). Bankoku, lit. "10,000 nations," really refers to "all the nations" or "the great many nations." Shinryō literally translates to "a beam across the port/harbor"; thus, "a bridge." Finally, kane refers to a bell of this type and style.

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Wikipedia